Tractor-plow.



G. W. McGlLL.

TRACTOR PLOW. I APPLICATlON FILED APR. 17, ISM.

Patented May 1, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I- WITNESSES.

TTOR/VEV e. w. McGiLL.

TRACTOR PLOW.

APPLICATlON FILED HR. 17. 1914.

Patented May 1, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 LQQQQFGI INVENTO/f I [WW/W 62 ORIVEY C. o N. m c m n nW m H m o n r s n s r s P 5 R R a M c u r G. W. McGlLL.

TRACTOR PLOW. APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, 1914. 1,224,761.. PatentedMay1,1917.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

L Q Q g Q m I Q 0 8s a WITNESSES.

GWL GM GEORGE WILLIAM McGrILL, 0F CLEVELAND, MISSOURI.

TRACTOR-FLOW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Application filed April 17, 1914. Serial No. 832,658.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE lVILLIAM MGGILL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cass and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tractor-Plows, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tractor plows, and my object is to produce amachine of this character which will operate eliiciently and by whichpractically the entire area of a field may be plowed.

With this general object in view, the invention consists in certainnovel and pe culiar features of construction and organization ashereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims, and. inorder that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a top plan view of atractor plow embodying my invention.

' Fig. 2, is a vertical section on the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a side view.

Fig. 4, is a detail vertical section of certain parts taken on the lineIV IV of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5, is a detail view showing braking mechanism forming a part of theinvention.

Fig. 6, is a diagrammatic plan view of the tractor plow, indicating infull lines its position as it reaches the end of a row and in dottedlines its position as it is ready to start in a new direction.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of a reversing gear forming a part of themachine.

In the said drawings a skeleton frame of rectangular form embodies anupper part 1 and a lower part 2 mounted at their front ends on a caster3, and near their rear ends on a pair of carrying wheels 4 journaled ona transverse shaft 5 underlying the skeleton frame and rigidly securedin the lower ends of hangers 6. The hangers are secured to' said frameat a point between side standards 7 connecting the rear ends of theupper and lower parts of the skeleton frame and the U-shaped hanger 8secured to the opposite sides of said upper and lower parts 1 and 2 ofthe skeleton frame. Forward of said hanger 8, is a front platform 9suitably supported at its front end on a rec- 5 tangular frame 10connecting the front ends of parts 1 and 2, and at its rear end onatransverse bar 11 connecting the sides of part 2 of the skeleton frame.Secured to the platform at their front ends is a pair of stringers 12,the rear ends of said stringers being secured to the axle 5. The upperpart of the skeleton frame is provided at its rear end with a U-shapedextension 13 from one-side of which a seat 14 is supported as shown orin any other suitable manner, and lower than and forward of the seat asuitable foot platform 15 is carried by and projects laterally from thelower part of the skeleton frame.

Mounted in any suitable manner upon the stringers 12 is a conventionallyillustrated two-cycle horizontal engine 16, and rotatable with the shaftthereof and slidingly mounted thereon in any well known manner areclutch members 17 and 18, adjustable into and out of engagement withcompanion clutch members 19 and 20 respectively journaled on the engineshaft. Clutch member 17 is connected in the usual manner to a bell crank21 connected by a rod 22 to a lever 23, suitable latch mechanism 24being provided for securing the lever at the desired point ofadjustment. A similar bell crank 25, rod 26 and lever 27 is provided foradjusting clutch member 18 into and out of engagement with clutch member20, and said lever is also provided with a latch mechanism28 forsecuring clutch member 18 in or out of engagement with clutch member 20.

29 is a sprocket wheel rigid with clutch member 19 and 30 a chainconnecting said wheel with a sprocket wheel 31 rigidly secured on atransverse shaft 32 journaled in suitable bearings 33 on the lower partof the skeleton frame.

Secured on shaft 32 is a clutch consisting of a slidable member 34rotatable with the shaft, and a member 35 journaled on the shaft, andrigid with the member 35 is a sprocket wheel 36 connected by a chain 37with the sprocket wheel 38 forming a part of a differential gearing 39.The differential gearing is of any well known type and is adapted toimpart movement to a pair of transversely alined shafts 40 and 41 or topermit either of said shafts to overrun to accommodate turning movementsof the machine, and as the construction of the differential isunimportant it is not shown in detail. Shafts 10 and 41 are eachprovided with similar gear wheels 42 meshing with internal toothedwheels 43 rigid with the carrying wheels 4 for effecting rotation of thelatter.

To render the differential inoperative, a lever 44 is suitably pivotedon a post 45 and connected at one end in the customary manner to theclutch member 34, and connected at the other end by a link 45 to a crank46 on a transverse shaft 47 journaled in bearings 48 mounted on theupper part of the skeleton frame; said shaft having a second crank 49connected by a link 50 to a lever 51 supported from frame extension 13in any suitable manner adjacent seat 14; said lever having suitablelatch mechanism for securing it at the desired point of adjustment. Theoperation of said lever not only serves to throw the clutch members 34and 35 into and out of operation, but also effects through the action ofthe chain or flexible connection 52, the clamping of a brake band 53anchored at one end to a cross bar 54 mounted on the main frame, upon areversing gear casing 55 journaled on drive shaft 32, and a sleeve 55also journaled on said shaft. Keyed on a shaft 55 journaled in andcarried by the casing is a gear wheel 55 and a sprocket wheel 55, thelatter being connected by chain 55 to a sprocket wheel 55 keyed on shaft32. Wheel 55 meshes with gear wheel 55 rigidly mounted on sleeve 55.

The casing has a friction clutch member 55*, adapted to be engaged attimes by a member 56, mounted to slide on and turn with shaft 32, thesaid member 56 being adj nsted as usual by a lever 57 mounted upon apost 58 on cross bar 54 which also supports the post 45 hereinbeforementioned, and connected by a link 59 with the steering lever 60supported from the platform 9, an operating rod 61 leading from saidlever to point adjacent to the drivers seat.

62 is a cross link pivotally connecting lever 57 with the lever 63mounted on a post 63 on cross bar 54, and lever 63 is connected in theusual manner to a sliding member 64 of a clutch mechanism mounted onshaft 32, the other member 65 of the clutch being journaled on the shaftand equipped with a sprocket wheel 66 connected by a chain 67 with asprocket wheel 68 011 shaft 40.

For transmitting power from the reversing gear to the left-hand carryingwheel, to,

turn the same backward, a sprocket wheel 69 is mounted rigidly on sleeve55, of the reversing gear and is connected by achain 70 with thesprocket wheel 71 on shaft 41.

Above chain 70 is a sprocket wheel 75 mounted on a short shaft 76journaled in the lower end of a frame 77 hingedly mounted at its upperend in a manner hereinafter explained. Pivoted to said frame 77 is alink 78 pivoted to the crank arm 79 of a rock shaft 80 journaled inbearings 81 on the up per part of the. skeleton frame, and said shaft isprovided with a crank arm 82 connected by a link 83 to a lever 84adjacent lever 51. so that by means of lever 84 the frame 77 can beraised or lowered until sprocket wheel 75 comes into engagement withchain 70, and said lever 84 is adapted to be secured at the desiredpoint of adjustment by any suitable latch mechanism, as shown at 85.

Rotation imparted to shaft 76 by engagement of sprocket wheel 75 withchain 70, is transmitted to a spocket 86 on shaft 76 and thence throughchain 87 and sprocket wheel 88, to a shaft 89 on which said frame 77 ishinged. Shaft 89 is journaled in bearings 90 and in bifurcated bearingstandards 91 mounted on cross bar 92, and secured on said shaft 89 arethree worm gears 93, 94 and 95 meshing with worm wheels 96, 97 and 98respectively, rigidly secured on longitudinal shafts 99, 100, and 101,journaled at their front ends in standards 91 and at their rear ends inframe extension 13. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 2, that wormwheels 96 and 97 are of the mutilated type, the former having fewerteeth than the latter. Projecting from shafts 99, 100 and 101respectively, are crank arms 102, 103 and 104, connected by chains 105,106 and 107 to plows 108, 109 and 110, which plows are positivelylimited as to downward movement by chains 111 connecting the plow beamsto cross bar 54, the front ends of the beams being connected in theusual manner as at 112 to the hanger 8.

By thus positively limiting downward movement of the plows, the chains105, 106 and 107 are relieved of the weight of the plows so that thetorsion springs 113 secured on the shafts 99, 100 and 101 are free toturn said shafts to effect engagement of the worm wheels thereon withthe worms so that the latter when operated to raise the plows will, ashereinafter explained, immediately take hold of the worm wheels.

Assuming that the plows are lowered to operative position as shown, thatthe various clutches occupy the positions which are indicated in Fig. 1,that the frame 77 is raised to hold sprocketwheel 75 out of engagementwith chain 70, and that the brake-band is relaxed, it will be seenthatthe operation of the engine will transmit power through clutchmembers 17-19, and sprocket wheel 29, chain 30 and sprocket wheel 31 tothe drive shaft 32, which shaft will transmit power through engagedclutch members 34, 35 and sprocket wheel 36, chain 37 and sprocket wheel38 to the diflerential gear, which in turn and in the usual manner, willimpart movement at equal speed to shafts 4 0 and 41 and thereby throughpinions 42 and wheels 43 effect forward travel of the tractor and theproduction of a furrow by each plow. Steering is accomplished by themediately thereafter manipulation of rod 61, sufficient forward movementof the same throwing clutch mem bers 64.65 into engagement and therebyimparting accelerated movement to shaft to deflect the machine to theleft through sprocket wheel 66, chain 67 and sprocket 68. Suflicientrearward movement of lever 60 disengages clutches64 -65 and throw theslidble member 56 of the reversing gear into engagement with thejournaled member 55 thereof and thus effect accelerated movement ofshaft 41 through gear 69, chain 70 and gear 71. 1

When it is desired to make a sharp turn at a corner of the field, toturn the machine from the position shown in full to the position shownin dotted lines Fig. 6, the operator operates lever 51 to effect thedisengagement of clutch members 3&1 and 35 to throw the differential outof action and imthe slack is taken out of connection 52 and the brakeband 53 engages the reversing gear casing and through the customaryaction of the same under such circumstances, reverses the direction ofrotation of sprockets 69, chain 7 0 and sprocket 71 and thereby effectsbackward rotation of shaft 11 and causes the machine to back around withthe right hand wheel 4 as the pivot to the position shown by the dottedlines above referred to. Immediately before lever 51 is operated toeffect the backward movement of the machine, lever 84 is operated toeffect depression of the swing frame 77 to cause the wheel 75 to engageand be driven by sprocket chain 70 and thereby through sprocket wheel86, chain 87 and sprocket 'wheel 88, impart rotation to transverse shaft89, which shaft through the intermeshing of its worms with the adjacentworm wheels effects movement of the crank arms 102, 103 and 104: asindicated by dotted arrows Fig, 2, that is to say, effects unequalmovement of said crank arms in the same direction because of thedifference in the number of teeth on their respective worm gears. Thisaction of the crank arms raises the plows out of the ground, all of theplows being raised substantially the same distance, though the turningaction of shaft 101 continues for a short time after the turning ofshaft 100 ceases, the movement of said shaft also terminating after thatof shaft 99 ends as will be readily understood, and before the machinehas backed around to said dotted line position, the plows are completelyelevated.

The machine being turned to face in the proper direction, the brakelever 51 and lever 84: are thrown to their original positions and therelaxing of the brake band causes clutch member 34 to reengage clutchmember 35 and thereby effect the advance of the machine through thedifferential as will be readily understood, and in this connection itwill be apparent that the caster 3 automatically assumes the properposition as such advance movement begins, and that the operation ofshaft 4C1 operates sprocket wheel and hence effects reverse movement ofshaft 89 and worm wheels 96, 97 and 98 to effect the lowering of theplows, the plows 108, 109 and 110 successively attaining their depressedpositions through the greater range of movement required for theirrespective crank arms 102, 103 and 10a and because of the varyinglengths of chains 105, 106 and 107, doubled or wound over theirrespective shafts 99, 100 and 101.

The parts are so proportioned that as plow 108 attains its depressedposition it enters the ground at the inside of the furrow from which itwas raised as above eX- plained, plow 109 entering the intermediatefurrow and the plow 110 the innermost furrow as said plows respectivelyattain their depressed or operative positions. It will therefore be seenthat by means of this tractor the corners of a field can be plowedwithout loss of time.

In'traveling to or from a field it may be desired to travel at a greaterrate of speed than is attained during the plowing operation. To do thispower is transmitted from the motor through clutch members 18 and 20 andsprocket wheel 72, chain 7 3 and sprocket wheel 74 to shaft 32, and isthen transmitted as hereinbefore explained to the differential gearingand by the latter to the wheels 4.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced atractor plow embodying the features of advantage enumerated asdesirable, and I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to berestricted to the exact details of construction shown and described butreserve the right to make all changes falling within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. The combination of a tractor, a plurality of plows connectedto the tractor to be pulled thereby, means for suspending the plows fromthe tractor and positively limiting downward movement of the former, ashaft journaled on the tractor above each plow, connections between eachshaft and one of said plows for raising the plows when their respectiveshafts are turned in the proper direction, and a shaft journaled on 1the tractor and geared to the first-named shafts for turning the samedifferent dis tances and lifting the plows simultaneously equaldistances; said shaft when reversely turned causing successive reversemovement of said first-named shafts and consequently successive loweringof their respective plows.

2. The combination of a tractor, a plurality of plows connected to thetractor to be pulled thereby, means for suspending the plows from thetractor and positively limiting downward movement of the former, a shaftjournaled on the tractor, a worm secured on said shaft for each plow, ashaft journaled on the tractor for each plow thereof, a worm wheelsecured on each of the lastnalned shafts and provided with differentnumbers of teeth, independent means for holding said worm wheels inengagement with their respective worms, and means for turning the wormshaft in one direction to rotate the worm-wheel carrying shaftsdifferent distances, and for turning said wormcarrying shaft in thereverse direction to effect successive reverse movement of saidworm-wheel carrying shafts.

3. The combination of a tractor, a plurality of plows connected to thetractor to be pulled thereby,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for a flexible connection be-'tween the tractor and said plows to limit downward movement of thelatter, a shaft j ournaled on the tractor above each plow, a crank armon each shaft, a flexible connection between each crank arm and itsrespective plow, and a shaft journaled on the tractor and geared to thefirst-named shafts for turning the same different distances and liftingthe plows simultaneously equal distances; said shaft when reverselyturned causing successive reverse movement of said first-named shaftsand consequently successive lowering of their respective plows.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE WILLIAM McGILL. Witnesses:

FORREST MYERs, JOHN A. BRADLEY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. c.

